OMG yes they are so overated

i dont hate U2, on the contrary i love them. and correction: they WERE the biggest rock band in the world. not anymore sadly...

Theyr'e overrated. And they are absolutly not the greatest rock band.

I don't think they are the biggest Rock band in the world. I think there are a lot more famous and more talented bands out there.

They are OK, a lot better then some bands, I just don't like them. I think they are overrated.

Jealousy makes you nasty.
People are just jealous of them. I think they are a great band.

They are huge because they are "successful" among their target group. They have a radio friendly sound with global appeal. Not to mention Bono gives more money to charities than most any other musician. The people that attend their concerts and buy their CD's are less likely to download them illegally too. Just my opinion on why they are big. As for why people hate them... They are jsut one of those bands that either you love or hate 'em. People voice their opinion loudly either way,

They have international appeal. They market themselves well through charity work and their very public environmental lobbying. They are from Ireland, but have success in North America... meaning when your already popular in the UK and central Europe, then make it in America, you are huge. They're music is also a very well balanced, never really pleasing but also not offending anybody.

A lot of people hate them for many reasons..

some people just like to go against the grain
a lot of people think they are over rated so they hate them solely for that reason
ANYBODY or any group that is popular is bound to have haters simply because SO many people have heard them, and not everyone will like everything. The nicest coolest person in the world, if he met everyone, would have a lot of people disliking him or her.

Its because they are rubbish

People have different tastes in music and bands. It's not because they're jealous. That's just ignorant for you to say.

Well U2 have chosen a lot of controversial topics over the years. If you know their entire body of work, I don't think they are overrated at all. Remember that you are asking teenie boppers here ... LOL. I agree with the guy above that they peaked with first Unforgettable Fire and then Joshua Tree.

U2 is a great band...one of my favorites of all time, going back to Sunday, Bloody Sunday and Unforgettable Fire when they were more alternative...but once they became more mainstream and popular as all get-out (southern expression) selling millions and millions of albums and concert tickets, there are those people who I call "music snobs" who just won't admit to liking a band or give them the credit they are due once that band/artist has appealled to the masses, like U2 has....perhaps they are a bit overrated, but I enjoy the hell-o out of their music

Edit: well said, Greg

They are not the biggest rock band in the world by any stretch of the imagination. And yes they are massively overrated. I think the reason why is because the true greats, like Yes, Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, belonged to the era before, and each new generation likes to have it's own heroes.

It's because there are a LOT of stupid people in the world, so no matter how many people with good taste are out there, there will always be more that have none. (did that make sense?)

U2 are classified as the biggest band on the earth because of multiple reasons. firstly is thier record sales, they are massive numbers that keep on growing, second you have thier live acts which consistantly sell out and cost a small fortune to fund, third is thier political veiws....well Bono's more than the rest but Bono keeps himself in the news which keeps the band in the news which will constantly make more people curious. You combine all that with thier charity work and the songs that get covered by newer artists and you have one major band.